Nightclub Permit to Serve Beer Suspended

Knoxville (WVLT) - A controversial west Knoxville nightclub will ring in the New Year, without permission to serve beer.

Friday, Knoxville's Beer Board suspended the permit for Michael's after police cited a server for selling beer to an 18-year-old member of the police explorer post at about dinner time Thursday night.

Reportedly asked for an immediate, emergency suspension given a number of similar claims that michael's has over-served customers served under-age patrons, and allowed customers to leave, or drive, drunk.

Steve Hall of the Knoxville Beer Board says, "They was the only customers she had, so it wasn't the fact that they were too busy to read ID. They actually did card the young lady, she had a license that said she was under 21, the server looked at it, and still sold her."

The suspension is effective until January 16-th, when Michael's owners face a hearing aimed at revoking their beer permit permanently.

Michael's still holds a state permit to serve liquor.

But authorities say they'll consider what happens with the beer permit, before deciding whether to try to revoke that too.

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